AgricultureID

Country agriculture profile · Latin America & Caribbean

Mexico

Mexico combines a dualistic farm structure: rainfed smallholder maize and bean cultivation, rooted in Mesoamerican milpa traditions, alongside highly commercial irrigated grain and export-horticulture systems in the northwest. It is a leading exporter of fresh produce — including tomato, chilli, avocado, and berries — while remaining a major importer of feed grain. Coffee, sugarcane, and tropical crops anchor the wetter south, and extensive cattle ranching dominates the arid north.

Stable overview + dated statisticsUpdated: 2026-07-12

Farming systems (stable overview)

Climate zones

  • Arid and semi-arid (north)
  • Tropical wet (south and Gulf)
  • Tropical savanna
  • Subtropical highland (central plateau)

Agroecological zones

  • Northwest irrigation districts (Sinaloa, Sonora)
  • Central highland plateau (Bajío)
  • Gulf and southern tropical lowlands
  • Southern highlands (Chiapas, Oaxaca)

Dominant crop systems

  • Rainfed smallholder maize–bean (milpa) systems
  • Irrigated wheat, maize, and horticulture in the northwest
  • Export horticulture — tomato, chilli, berries, and avocado
  • Coffee and sugarcane in the tropical south

Major livestock systems

  • Extensive beef cattle ranching in the arid north
  • Backyard and intensive confined poultry
  • Dairy in the central highlands and north
  • Smallholder pigs and small ruminants

Irrigation: Irrigation is decisive for the commercial north and northwest, where large public irrigation districts support wheat and horticulture, while much of the centre and south remains rainfed and rainfall-variable.

Latest verified data

Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.

Latest available agricultural indicators, with year and unit
IndicatorValueUnitYear
Agricultural land50.69% of land area2023
Arable land10.3% of land area2023
Cereal yield4,262.2kg per hectare2023
Cereal production37,015,878.83metric tons2023
Agriculture value added3.87% of GDP2024
Employment in agriculture(est.)11.61% of total employment2024
Irrigated agricultural land6.58% of agricultural land2023
Rural population20.25% of total population2024

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Cereal yield over time

201220182023
Mexico — Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Bars start at zero.
Show data table
Mexico — Cereal yield in kg per hectare by year
Yearkg per hectare
20123,453.4
20133,386.9
20143,581.9
20153,470.1
20163,748.8
20173,799.7
20183,826.3
20193,992.4
20203,806.5
20213,878.9
20223,950.2
20234,262.2

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Derived indicator

Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 20.3 % of agricultural land (2023)

Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (10.3) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (50.7). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.

Documented crops & livestock

Agricultural institutions

  • Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (SADER) — Federal ministry of agriculture and rural development.
  • Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP) — National institute for forestry, crop, and livestock research.
  • International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) — CGIAR maize and wheat research center, headquartered near Mexico City.

Data coverage & limitations

Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.

  • Statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; always read them with their year and dataset version.
  • National statistical definitions (of agricultural land, farm, and employment) differ from those of other countries, limiting strict cross-country comparison.
  • National aggregates mask a sharp divide between commercial irrigated agriculture and rainfed subsistence farming.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]World Bank Open Data — World Development Indicators (opens in a new tab)

    World Bank

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Global production and food-systems context

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  3. [3]FAOSTAT — FAO statistical database (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Production, area, and trade statistics

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  4. [4]USDA FAS — Foreign Agricultural Service (opens in a new tab)

    USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Horticultural and grain trade estimates

    Type:
    Government agency
    Jurisdiction:
    Global (U.S. perspective)
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12